I've grown tired of the gritty, grainy images of desaturated sport fighters in (LFI) magazines I frequently see.

Outside of their arenas, I found those who fight for fun have a sense of grace not often on display. They also have deep moments of reflection on their sport. Perhaps that was just their warm-up routines.

All participants in this series are authentic athletes.

Well, maybe not all. Headshot photographer Nick Gregan saw me testing the lighting and asked if I would pose for his vintage sports series as a boxer. Having advised him I am not of a typical boxer build, I agreed to pose for the shoot. Nick hired the outfit for an early Edwardian street figher.

As a photographer, being on the other side of the camera was educational and refreshing.

You can read more about behind the scenes of this series on Macfilos.